Lager Beers

February 21, 2010 · Posted in Meetings · Comment 

Jim researched February’s beer style of the month, Lagers, and Sean filled in for him by giving the presentation and sharing somem examples. We learned that Lagers are defined by the process used to brew them. They are distinguished from Ales by a relatively slower fermentation at cool temperatures followed by a relatively longer period of cold conditioning. Lagers originated in Bavaria and spread throughout the world because of its clean, crisp underlying flavor profile.

The four examples that we sampled were:

  • Bud Light: This light American Lager is known as the King of Beers. It was introduced in 1982 and is the world’s best-selling beer.
  • Shiner Bock: A traditional bock, slightly sweet and strong. Bock beers are brewed in the winter in order to be consumed in the spring.
  • Licher Pilsener: A fluffy white head with sweet citrus and malt aroma.
  • Kostriker Black Lager: A Schwarzbier made with pale malt, Munich malt, and roasted malt. It is hopped with Huller and Hallertau hops.

For more information on this beer style, please see the Beer Style Guide at CraftBeer.com.

Hop Cultivation

February 21, 2010 · Posted in Homebrewing, Meetings, Supplies · 1 Comment 

Deck Hop GardenAt the February Club Meeting, Don shared some tips and techniques on growing and harvesting your own hops. Although Central IL is not known as Hop Country, they grow really well here - as many members can attest. Not only is it fun to chat with your neighbors about your hop garden, it gives you control over an additional aspect of your beers.

Here are some of the tips that were shared:

  • Plant your rhizomes in early spring, after the last sign of frost
  • Plant in rows running east-west (facing south)
  • Plant in well-drained soil (consider burying a large container to keep the runners in check)
  • Trim lower leaves to keep pests and mildew away
  • Harvest when cones have a papery feel and are very fragrant
  • After drying the hops, freeze in vacuum-sealed bags
  • Compare your hops to something that should be comparable before using in the boil (or use them for dry-hopping only)

Some of the sources for hop rhizomes include:

Midwest Supplies

Adventures in Homebrewing

Freshops

Northern Brewer

The Thyme Garden

More Beer

Other Club Members!

The Enthusiast Beer Taste Troubleshooting Kit

January 31, 2009 · Posted in Meetings · 1 Comment 

By John Chubick, Club Member

The ABNormal Brewers Club has kicked off its 20th anniversary year with an emphasis on helping members improve upon the already excellent beers we brew. In our January meeting Don primed us for a series of upcoming presentations using The Enthusiast Beer Taste Troubleshooting Kit. Don’s Taste Profiling presentation educated us on the importance of the sense of smell in tasting and which areas of the tongue are responsible for sensing various flavor components.

Beginning with our February meeting we will build upon the foundation Don has laid as we start a series of monthly presentations using The Enthusiast Beer Taste Troubleshooting Kit from FlavorActiv. This kit was engineered to help brewers identify flavor faults by actually tasting samples of eight different off-flavors commonly found in beer.  Along with providing us with the ability to recognize these flavor faults this series of presentations will educate the club on what can cause them and how they can be prevented.

You may wish to review Don’s handouts from our January meeting and bring a copy to upcoming meetings for reference. If you wish to listen to an audio podcast of a group of home brewers’ first-hand experience with the FlavorActiv kit visit the Basic Brewing Radio web site at 01-26-06 Basic Brewing Radio - Bad Beer Tasting - Pt. 1 and 02-16-06 Basic Brewing Radio - Bad Beer Tasting - Pt. 2.

This series of presentations promises to be very informative. So, mark your calendar now. You won’t want to miss them!

Read the rest of the article for the recommended steps from the FlavorActiv web site for using the kit.

Read more

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